Not eating alot

[pamela81]

Harris has always enjoyed food. Always meowing for it or treats. Recently, mainly since they have come back from the cattery, we have noticed he is not eating as much as he usually did. We are making sure we are giving him food that we know he definitely likes and we have also changed the type of dish we are feeding him with to see if that helps. He is licking the gravy/jelly off the food, eating a few bits and then leaving it. He used to always enjoy his full pouch of food. He is still eating the sticks we give him so his appetite is still there but cant just give him them without his proper food.

Any advice would be great :)

[angieh]

That sounds worrying Pamela. Do you know if Harris ate whilst in the cattery? Has he lost weight?

[pamela81]

he has lost a wee bit angie, not sure the full story as to how they eere inthe cattery as MIL picked them up for us. we are going to try separating them for atleast half an hour at every meal time to give Harris the chance to go back to it if he wants to to see if that helps.

[angieh]

Yes that's worth trying .... I wouldn't wait too long to take him to the vet if that doesn't work soon though.

[Elaine]

How are his toilet habits Pamela? I just wondered if he may have a touch of cystitis or something coz that would put him off his food a bit too.
Hope he perks up again soon x

[pamela81]

His tray habits are normal. I keep an eye on them because he can be prone to cystitis. Going to get a cooked chicken for dinner tonight and also give the cats some to see how Harris gets on with it. May be that he is just being picky!!

[Kazz]

Has a bad tooth or a abcess? May be worth checking it out?

[Velvet]

I wondered about mouth problems as well, if he has a sore mouth it would explain his lack of wanting to "chew" and just lick the gravy or jelly. Worth wee trip to the vet to check his mouth

[pamela81]

OH fed them last night and apparently Harris was tucking in!! He is still trying to steal our food aswell. Fed them this morning and again he was tucking in. Beginning to think he is just being fussy and trying to keep us on our toes!! Will still be keeping an eye though.

[angieh]

Seems like Harris just wants to remind you who's in charge after being away! What a boy!!!

[Shelley123]

glad to hear Harris is eating more now, maybe something to do with the warmer weather ? Tuppence was eating a bit less but seems ok again now.

[Velvet]

Good news x

[pamela81]

Thought I would post an update. Harris had started eating more however over the last few days again this has changed. We wormed both of them and this hasn't helped. Harris knocked a lap down early hours (not likehim) when got out from under our quilt and when we got up, he didn't come and meet us like he usually does. When he did, he was really unsteady on his feet and looked dazed although he did eat. Off to the vets tonight. Hope its nothing too serious :-(

[angieh]

Fingers crossed Pamela. Sending loads of healing vibes for Harris.

[PoshPuss]

Hope it's good news for Harris, Pamela. Fingers crossed :)

[alexgirl73]

Everything crossed for him x

[Elaine]

Oh dear, I dont like the sound of that. All the very best, I hope its nothing serious xxx

[pamela81]

We took him in and they initially were only keeping him in to do blood work as the vet was quite worried about his weight. Got a call saying they suspect he might have hepatitis, we got a call 10mins later saying they were putting him on a drip as he was going jaundice. Getting him back tomorrow.

[Elaine]

Oh no, I am sorry to hear that. I wish him a speedy recovery. Did they say exactly what type of hepatitis?

[pamela81]

Just had another call from the vet, his condition is severe and they are keeping him in all weekend now and doing a scan on monday. It also looks like it more trouble with his liver than anything else now. Its possible we could lose him.

[lynz85]

keep fighting strong for your mummy haribo. luv aunty lynz x x

[angieh]

Parcel loads of comforting healing vibes for Harris. Keep up the good fight wee man.

[Velvet]

So sad to read this, hope this little boy regains his strength - healing thoughts x

[pamela81]

GOOD NEWS!!!!!!!!! phoned the vet at 830am today. They have told us Harris had a good night and was eating and we can bring him home at 1130am!! Had happy tears this morning instead of sad 1s!!!

[angieh]

That's good news Pamela. Fingers crossed for continued improvement. Come on Harris, keep eating!

[pamela81]

Thanks everyone for your positive vibes, they certainly helped our wee boy last night!!

[Velvet]

Thats brilliant news! So so pleased x

[pamela81]

We have him home!! Hes alot brighter than he was and certainly glad to be home i think. He is not out of the woods yet though as the vet still isnt sure whats wrong with him. More bloods to be ran on Monday which we are hoping shows that the high levels of liver enzymes have come down. Just to keep feeding him often and little and make sure hes drinking so we have plenty of chicken and cat milk for him as he doesn't really drink water. Hoping to get his weight up a bit as well in the next couple of days.

[Elaine]

Fingers firmly crossed for you both. It can be a scarey business but the liver is the only organ that can repair itself. Can you blend the food with some water and get him to take water that way? It's just that cat milk is more of a food than it is water.

[Velvet]

Has the vet suggested a prescription diet to help maintain tbe liver?

[pamela81]

we have mixed the cat milk with water so its more water than milk. the vet has advised to give him food any way we can. feeding him chicken bits which he is devouring. not eating his pouch food yet but that may be because of the milk. he is having tuna for dinner tonight as a treat :D

[pamela81]

velvet, they want to do his bloods again before they decide if he needs a special diet. not worried if he does if its going to make him better :D hes my boy so will do anything to make sure hes well.

[pamela81]

he haf just over half a tin of tuna in spring water for dinner and watered down milk. positive signs. come on wee boy keep fighting! !

[alexgirl73]

Keep going Harris, you're doing well :) Hope he continues to improve x

[pamela81]

Had another trip to the vet today. Harris liver enzyme count has halfed but still too high but we are working on it. He got more bloods done today to check it. He also now has a shaved patch on his neck :( due to the vet being confident that the profender worming solution has also caused a reaction or sped up the illness. He has been diagnosed as having Cholangiohepatitis which thankfully we have caught early enough to treat and manage. Anothe rtrip to the vet on thursday for more bloods and also test results then all going well he will be signed off!! I have an amazing wee fighter!! Him being so strong has kept us going!!!

[Velvet]

Wee pet, glad to hear he is continuing to improve x

[tilly]

Fingers crossed he will continue to improve.

Sally

[angieh]

Poor wee Harris. Is this the first time he's had a bout of this particular issue Pamela? Glad you've caught it early.

[pamela81]

This is the first time. He has only just been diagnosed with it. He is getting better everyday though and eating more which is the big issue

[Elaine]

Both Harris and you are doing very well, keep up the good work. ;)

[pamela81]

Harris has asked me to say thank you to everyone for their well wishes and kind thoughts. It really helped him through it and get better to come home :D

[angieh]

Aww Bless you, Harris. Just keep on getting better, lovely boy!

[PoshPuss]

Huge relief for you Pamela, phew, and for Harris, brave boy, much love & kisses.

[Shelley123]

Pamela, i'm sorry to read all about Harris, i missed all this.
I'm so pleased he's getting better and that you will be able to manage his condition xx

[Velvet]

How is he today?

[pamela81]

Thanks Shelley.

Velvet he is still improving.

The latest update from the vet tonight is that he is still a bit thin but he has put half a kilo on in 6days so they are pleased. He is also jumping about, playing, eating and leaving presents in the tray. He is on 3 different tablets. An antibiotic, 1 to reduce the damage on his liver and another 1 which im not sure what its for. He has to go back in 10 days as they didn't do bloods tonight. He is definitely improving every day :-D hoping for a sign off at the next visit!!

[angieh]

Way to go, wee Harris! That's a very good weight gain. Fingers crossed for next week, Pamela.

[pamela81]

Harris is back from the vet. They are extremely pleased with him. One of his enzyme levels is still too high but it has fallen dramatically so he is definitely on the road to recovery. He has to go back in 2weeks so hopefully everything will be back to normal!!

[angieh]

Well done Pamela and Harris too of course. Cuddles to the clever boy .... bet you are relieved to hear the news Pamela. Hope the remaining high enzyme level can be reduced over the next couple of weeks.

[Elaine]

Good news Pamela. Dont worry about the elevated enzyme, they tend to plateau and then come down slowly after a bit. It will come back into normal range given time.;)

[angieh]

I don't understand these enzyme levels really ....

[Elaine]

http://www.catsey.com/showthread.php?t=38055

ALB, Albumin, plays an important role in keeping fluid from blood from leaking into other tissues.
ALKP, Alkaline Phosphates, is an enzyme found in the liver and bone which helps remove hydrolized phosphate molecules.
ALT, alanine aminothansferase, is an enzyme found in its highest quantity in the liver and is disperssed into the blood at times of injury to the liver.
TBIL, total biliruben, Bilirubin is produced in the body when red blood cells become old and damaged and are destroyed in the spleen. Bilirubin goes in the blood from the spleen to the liver and then in bile into the small intestine. The liver converts it to a water soluble form that can be passed out in the urine.
Others are total protein, TP, cholesterol, CHOL and Urea, blood urea nitrogen.

[pamela81]

angie, I dont really understand it either to be honest. OH has been getting more info about it when he gies with Harris but he can never remember the explanations and meanings of them.

thanks for the explanations elaine :D